Christmas cheer at Hellabrunn Zoo

It's Christmas time again at Hellabrunn Zoo! The animals have been getting into the festive spirit by tucking into tasty treats provided by their keepers, with some animals enjoying a special yuletide snack – colourfully decorated Christmas trees. 

This year, Christmas trees of varying sizes were placed in the enclosures of the maned wolves, Bactrian camels, Przewalski's horses, Visayan warty pigs and zebras.Visitors can look forward to unique festive snaps. Giving Christmas treats to the animals has become a popular tradition at Hellabrunn Zoo. For some residents, the festive season brings a special gift: Christmas trees decorated by the keepers with vegetarian and meaty snacks. After the tree has been placed in the enclosure, it is always fascinating to observe how differently each species responses to their present. Some animals are cautious and need time to muster the courage to approach, while others head straight for the yuletide goodies. Depending on the species - shy animal or predator - a little adventureness is often required, but is definitely worthwhile.

The first to receive their present this year were two maned wolves, whose initial response was to scan the two trees from a distance by walking around them. The smell was appetising, but the source was puzzling. The duo then took a short tour of the enclosure before deciding to inspect the small parcels hanging on the trees. And then it wasn't long before the South American wild canids, known for their long legs and powerful teeth, found the meaty treats and ate them. As they combed, the conifers shed their contents, covering the white snow with colourful fruit, green needles and scraps of meat, which the long-legged animals quickly sniffed out and ate.

Admittedly, the Bactrian camels and Przewalski's horses were not as excited to receive their Christmas presents. The zebras also approached their yuletide gift rather hesitantly. Here, it was easy to observe that shy animals such as Przewalski's horses and zebras were even more cautious in accepting their Christmas gifts. Despite being offered delicacies such as apples, peppers and oranges, they nibbled on them rather warily. But eventually they managed to pluck all the colourful delicacies from the trees.

The beautifully decorated Christmas trees are gifted to the residents not just for festive snaps, they are a part of the zoo’s animal enrichment programme. Concealing treats by wrapping or boxing them encourages the animals to use their natural behaviours and mimics foraging in the wild. Food hidden in this way is designed to make the task of finding meals more challenging and to provide mental and physical stimulation.

Unlike the shy animals, the Visayan warty pigs were much more curious. The reigning Zoo Animal of the Year ran straight towards the trees and set about using their snouts to pluck treats such melon from the branches or knock the trees down entirely. The gang of four made short work of it: The six small trees fell to the ground in no time and were stripped of their beautiful and delicious decorations. They also quickly discovered the grain feed the keepers had spread around the trees which, despite the snow, they all scooped up with their long snouts and enjoyed.

Verena Dietl, chair of the supervisory board and mayor, praised the commitment of the entire zoo team: "It's always nice to see the ingenuity and passion with which the keepers at Hellabrunn look after their charges every day and bring them joy – especially now during the festive season. I am very grateful for the continuous commitment of all our employees, because this is what makes our zoo in Munich such a special place. A visit to the zoo during the Christmas holidays is an experience I recommend to everyone.“

Zoo director Rasem Baban sees the snowfall as a beautiful and festive end to the current year at the zoo: "I would like to thank all our visitors from the bottom of my heart for having remained loyal to us this year. We can look back on many highlights such as the opening of the lion and wolf enclosures. These and many other events would not have been possible without all our employees working together as a team. I would like to wish all our fans, visitors, donors, sponsors, volunteers and all employees a wonderful Christmas and relaxing holidays.”

After Christmas, the animals at Hellabrunn will also be given trees to munch on. However, the zoo only uses unsold trees for this purpose, which it purchases from selected dealers to ensure they are pollution-free. Disused Christmas trees from private households can unfortunately not be accepted.

Christmas and New Year opening times at Hellabrunn Zoo are as follows:

• 24 December (Christmas Eve):                   9 am – 4 pm
• 25 December (Christmas Day):                    9 am – 5 pm
• 26 December (Boxing Day):                         9 am – 5 pm
• 31 December (New Year's Eve):                  9 am – 4 pm
• 1 January (New Year's Day):                        9 am – 5 pm